Decorative and structural panels for architectural and transport vehicle applications commonly take the form of laminates having a surface layer and a reinforcement layer. The surface layer often includes a decorative layer, or outer cover, affixed to a substrate layer that provides rigidity, the laminate as a whole exhibiting laminate weights of about 3,000 grams per square meter. Decorative laminates typically have a visible layer that exhibits an embossed texture, or a print pattern, or a combination of these and other aesthetic design features.
In transport vehicle applications, laminates employed as surface-covering materials must meet industry established standards with regard to not only the release of toxic fumes or gases upon combustion, including those released with smoke, but also the amount of smoke created during the combustion process. It is further desirable to be able to manufacture laminates meeting industry standards that display uniformity of the texture and print pattern design features of the decorative portion of the laminate. This can be difficult to achieve as any decorative feature must maintain its integrity throughout the manufacturing process. Non-textile flooring (NTF) laminates are generally constructed using multiple layers of various films laminated together under high temperature and pressure, and/or embossed, again at high temperature and pressure, at different stages in a continuous roll-forming manufacturing process.
Conventional methods for the manufacture of such laminates are limited by the properties of the materials used which impose limitations on the extent to which the combined layers can be heated, stretched and further processed in casting and roll-forming machinery without adversely affecting the dimensional stability of the final product or the performance characteristics of the various laminate layers. Laminates have three basic dimensions which can be represented by reference to x, y, and z axis, where the z-axis represents the thickness of the laminate. In conventional laminates, permanent distortion occurs along the x or y axis, or both, when the laminate is heated and stretched in one or more directions as a result of forces applied in a mechanical lamination process. As the laminate cools it retains such distortion.
Conventional laminates used in the industry include one or more layers containing PVC (polyvinyl chloride). PVC laminates provide a low cost laminate option that is durable and low maintenance. This type of surface laminate resists abrasion and impact damage, making its use for flooring in high traffic areas attractive. For some time, PVC-containing laminates have been the best available choice for use in the transportation industry. However, those laminates containing PVC exhibit high levels of toxicity and smoke generation upon combustion, presenting a concern in industrial applications, and particularly air transport applications.
In addition, currently employed laminate structures are of a construction which results in a higher than desired weight to ensure rigidity and stability. These structural laminates, though they provide adequate performance characteristics for aviation flooring and are available in the form of sheets, also have dimensional limitations which can result in unnecessary waste in end-use applications.